Part 2, Chapters 10 and 11 Summary

Chapter 10 - Scott sits in Bill's office and contemplates reorganizing the reader mail. At the same time, he studies the various maps and diagrams of Bill's novel on the wall, and considers the relationship between having Bill's having his photo taken and his disappearance. His thoughts contrast Bill's perspective with that of Chairman Mao (who used photographs to affirm his presence in the world, rather than his absence). He also considers Bill's habits as a writer, and as he methodically cleans Bill's typewriter, reflects on Karen's absence (particularly on how she seems adrift and aimless when Bill's gone) and on how he (Scott) simultaneously loves and resents her. After finishing with the typewriter, Scott goes through the drawers in Bill's desk, discovering family letters, army documents, and Bill's birth certificate, identifying him as Willard Skansey Jr.

Karen, meanwhile, wanders...